#technicalarthistory

[thetechnicalarthistorian]

Last Friday I had the honour of officially receiving my MSc in Technical Art History from the University of Amsterdam! It was a beautiful graduation ceremony, followed by a celebration with lots of family and friends! I feel blessed to have had this experience and I am certain that the future holds many opportunities for further self-development and exciting research topics! #technicalarthistory #graduation #masterdegree #msc #arthistory #graduationday #research #researcher #academic #youngresearcher #newbeginnings #party #celebration #Amsterdam #universityofamsterdam #conservationandrestoration #culturalheritage #masterdiploma #smile #happy #diploma #gradschool #university (bij Universiteitstheater Amsterdam) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3p1GlQg9Jm/?igshid=1v8l2a5kv3wyr

[kwdigitaldesigns-blog]

nikolateslamuseum, technicalart, tags by @hashtagr, nikolateslaquotes, nikolateslaairport, technicalartist, nikolateslaevrallycroatia, technicalarts, technicalarthistory, nikolatesla💡, nikolateslasworld, nikolatesladay, nikolateslaserbianinvetor, nikolateslamindfromthefuture, nikolateslaquote, nikolateslacorner, nikolateslaexhibition, nikolateslacafe, nikolateslaswitch, nikolateslaart, nikolateslamuseumbelgrade, nikolateslacat, nikolatesladropsthebeat, nikolateslaandtheendoftheworld, nikolateslaaerodrom, nikolateslasnightofterror, patentillustration, patentillustrations, patentillustrationservices, patentillustrationservice https://www.instagram.com/p/CINnkdPpPt7/?igshid=1hcmpo8m35mtr

[thetechnicalarthistorian]

Last Friday I had the honour of presenting the results of my master's thesis 'Ancient Incarnations: Depicting Human Flesh in Mummy Portraits from Roman Egypt' (soon publicly available online) at an expert meeting on mummy portraits in Berlin. For my thesis I examined four mummy portraits from the Allard Pierson collection, a leading participant in the Getty's international APPEAR project, which includes the study of mummy portraits. The results are promising and much more is still to be done with regard to this fascinating topic. We made great connections during the meeting and, hopefully, there will be plenty of opportunity for future collaboration between Amsterdam and Berlin! #technicalarthistory #allardpierson #antikensammlung #getty #gettyappear #mummyportraits #fayum #fayumportraits #archaeology #archeology #ancientart #ancientpainting #mummy #portraitpainting #art #arthistory #egyptianart #romanart #thesis #mathesis #academia #academic #scholar #research #presentation #publicspeaking #amsterdam #berlin #universityofamsterdam #conservationandrestoration (bij Archäologisches Zentrum) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1_hjxzooJs/?igshid=1a8vgg9m64t70

[thetechnicalarthistorian]

It's been a while since I last posted something because of all the insanity with my thesis deadline. I'm glad to say that I finally submitted my thesis last Friday! For the past year I've been researching mummy portraits from Roman Egypt, also known as 'Fayum portraits'. These portraits were painted on panel or linen and enclosed with the mummified remains of whom they represent. This tradition lasted from ca. the mid-first century AD until 392 when emperor Theodosius I outlawed mummification. My research specifically focussed on the technique of depicting flesh tones in mummy portraits and how to find sustainable terminology for this aspect of ancient painting about very little is known. As a case study I had the great opportunity to work with four mummy portraits from the collection of the Allard Pierson. The thesis is 188 pages so it's way to extensive to summarise here, but what I wouldn't want to omit is that Romano-Egyptian painters created realistic incarnations simply by utilising lead white and ochres in varying quantites, in a complex mixture of staple techniques and paintery idiosyncrasies. If you want to know more about mummy portrait research I highly recommend looking up the Getty's APPEAR project, which my research is a small part of. Now on to a final essay assignment and then my Technical Art History MA degree will be in the pocket! #technicalarthistory #allardpierson #gettymuseum #fayumportrait #fayumportraits #mummy #mummyportrait #archeology #ancientpainting #ancientart #art #panelpainting #portrait #paintings #egyptianart #romanart #romanempire #funeraryart #archaeology #paintingtechniques #analysis #research #thesis #student #universityofamsterdam #conservationandrestoration #researcher #beautiful #incarnation #faces https://www.instagram.com/p/BzIFr2WIpgs/?igshid=w4l0xqmelex5

[thetechnicalarthistorian]

The Reticello Urn (2010) in the National Museum of Scotland by American glass artist Dante Marioni is an absolute highlight of technical excellence. The piece's name is derived from the traditional Venetian glass-making technique retichello. In this technique, canes of coloured glass are combined in a criss-cross pattern, forming an intricate grid of dark and more translucent glass. A by-effect of this technique is that a tiny bubble of air is trapped in each square of the grid. This creates a fascinating pattern that is beautiful from a distance as well as close-up! #technicalarthistory #art #glass #glassart #americanart #americanartist #contemporaryart #contemporaryartist #edinburgh #nationalmuseumofscotland #scotland #uk #museum #design #glassblowing #translucent #aesthetic #beautiful #gridpattern #darkglass #urn #artwork #artworks #complex #airbubble #artistsmaterials #museums #technique #craft #skill (bij National Museum of Scotland) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs3azENAH7F/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1w9npt8bopueb

[thetechnicalarthistorian]

Awesomeness at TEFAF 2019! It is really incredible to see how much art is still around to be bought (if your wallet is big enough...). Art fairs like TEFAF show a huge diversity in cultural heritage objects, from antiquities to 20th-century design and old master paintings, and so much more. Visiting these fairs is a lot of fun because it allows you to see a whole new selection of artworks not exhibited in museum collections. Another advantage is that you can come much closer to the objects than any museum would ever allow, which is really nice if you want to get a better idea how something is made. Here is a selection of my pictures from my trip to Maastricht yesterday. The fair was way to huge to capture everything, but I hope it gives a nice impression! #technicalarthistory #art #artworks #antique #antiques #tefaf #tefaf2019 #maastricht #beautiful #artfair #artwork #antiquities #design #paintings #collecting #artcollecting #aesthetic #display #expensive #onview #exhibition #modernart #contemporaryart #ancientart #oldmasters #oldmasterpaintings #daytrip #forsale #artist #artists (bij TEFAF) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvUXc5DgIs6/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1eynkck7g6qd8

[thetechnicalarthistorian]

Busy doing archival work as part of my internship at the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands! I am working on a project about historical ink recipes and Dutch materia medica collections. Ingredients for ink (for example) were often used in pharmacy as well, hence me looking at these 18th-century documents regarding an Amsterdam doctor's collection. More results to follow! #technicalarthistory #research #researcher #academic #universityofamsterdam #conservationandrestoration #culturalheritage #instagay #18thcentury #archivalresearch #arttechnologicalsourceresearch #archive #oldbooks #oldbook #rce #student #scholar #internship #materiamedica #ink #university #reading #historicalsources #artistmaterials #artistsmaterials (bij Leiden, Netherlands) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqNe_MVAtBa/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ey88x6ei3u6p

[thetechnicalarthistorian]

'Hansje in the Cellar' can be called a 17th-century baby shower tradition. The baby, 'Hansje', would normally be hidden under a lid in chalices like these. When wine was poured into the bowl, the baby would automatically pop up! In the 21st century something this would be considered a novelty item, but the fact that this is a highly ornamental chalice of solid silver shows how important the celebration of a forthcoming baby was in the 17th century. 'Hansje in the Cellar'. Silver drinking vessel by Jan Hermansz. van Ossevoort, 1623. Dordrechts museum. #technicalarthistory #arthistory #art #silver #chalice #silverchalice #17thcentury #17centuryart #silverart #preciousmetals #metalworking #metalwork #babyshower #tradition #dutch #dutchtradition #dutchart #dutchartist #beautiful #shiny #wine #drinkingvessel #noveltyitems #novelty #baby #artobject #dordrecht #dordrechtsmuseum #museum #netherlands (bij Dordrechts Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp4XUujAl62/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=46nbaz5s08wi

[thetechnicalarthistorian]

I spent the month of June intensively researching two Fayum portraits from the Allard Pierson Museum, with a specific focus on materials and techniques. I am excited to share that part of my research on one of the portraits is now featured in an Ancient World Magazine article (co-authored with Branko van Oppen): 'The girl with the golden wreath'. The article combines research from the perspective of technical art history with research of the portrait's provenance and its original cultural significance. A fruitful combination resulting in a comprehensive view of the biography of an ancient portrait! You can read the article on: https://ancientworldmagazine.com/articles/girl-golden-wreath #technicalarthistory #fayum #fayumportraits #fayumportrait #mummyportrait #ancientpainting #panelpainting #encaustic #encausticpainting #ancient #ancientart #egypt #egyptianart #roman #romanart #romanempire #research #noninvasiveresearch #art #xray #article #portrait #painting #allardpiersonmuseum #museum #culturalheritage #archaeology #archeology #conservationandrestoration #universityofamsterdam (bij Amsterdam, Netherlands)

[thetechnicalarthistorian]

Another key feature of Leccese baroque is the use of papier-mâché! My personal favourite of the churces in Lecce is the Santa Chiara. The church itself dates from the 15th century, but most of the baroque interior was added between 1687 and 1691. The most interesting feature however is the 18th-century ceiling, created in imitation of a wooden ceiling. Would you know at first sight that the ceiling is actually completely made of papier-mâché? #technicalarthistory #church #churchinterior #papiermache #historicalinteriors #baroque #baroquestyle #baroquechurch #18thcentury #17thcentury #15thcentury #lecce #puglia #italy #southitaly #holiday #imitation #art #papermache #history #ceiling #churchceiling #beautiful #craftsmanship #baroquearchitecture #arthistory #vacation #materials #paperart #sculpture (bij Piazza Santa Chiara)

[thetechnicalarthistorian]

Afternoon gilding workshop! I started out with this plank prepared with a smooth layer of gesso. After scratching in a design I coated the plank in a thin layer of bole: a very fine, rather liquid clay mixed with animal skin glue. The red bole is historically typical for South-European gilding practice. When the bole is dry, you can re-activate it with a quickly-evaporating mixture of water and some ethanol. You can then apply the gold leaf, which sticks to the glue. This is the difficult part! You'll notice that even the slightest draft or breath will send your gold leaf flying everywhere! This technique is known as water gilding, but there are other methods of gilding as well! This is however the easiest and safest one to do at home, although you'll probably find gold leaf everywhere for the next few days! ;) #technicalarthistory #arthistory #art #gold #goldleaf #gilding #shiny #gesso #reconstruction #historicalreconstruction #aesthetic #diy #watergilding #artsy #bole #clay #decoration #conservationandrestoration #universityofamsterdam (bij Amsterdam, Netherlands)

[thetechnicalarthistorian]

Probably the closest I'll ever get to a golden handshake! 😂 One thing that you'll notice when you're gilding is that the gold leaf tends to stick to anything that is even the slightest bit greasy. This is nice when you want to pick it up with your brush to move it to where it's supposed to be, because you can use just the slighest bit of vaseline on the tip of your brush to easily move the gold from your gilder's cushion. The downside is that you'll encounter gold leaf stuck in the weirdest places for days afterwards! #technicalarthistory #gold #goldleaf #gilding #historicalreconstruction #watergilding #aesthetic #shiny #hand #decoration #conservationandrestoration #universityofamsterdam (bij Amsterdam, Netherlands)

[thetechnicalarthistorian]

I almost forgot to share that I also made a rose during my workshop in life-casting! It was a lot more difficult to clean the plaster off than was the case with the seahorse, as it had worked its way in even the smallest spaces between the petals. To get rid of (almost all) the plaster, I had to do this little underwater 'excavation'. Lucky me that I have a BA in archaeology! ;) I could have been more historically accurate in using a fresh flower instead of a dry one, but this rose looked pretty, was sturdy and large enough to cast, and was lying around my house (for free!). While a dried flower works just fine, in the 16th century fresh specimens would have been used. Not only were they easier to manipulate into the desired position, but the 'living' aesthetic corresponds to the philosophy behind life-casting, which revolves around man capturing the living world in both time and space... #technicalarthistory #arthistory #art #metalcasting #rose #nature #pewter #plaster #artsy #beautiful #gold #kunstgeschiedenis #kunst #aesthetic #history #16thcentury #rose #pretty #flower #object #metamorphosis #cushion #detail #metalwork #oxidation #melting #tin #culture #conservationandrestoration #universityofamsterdam (bij Amsterdam, Netherlands)

[thetechnicalarthistorian]

For those who are interested in making their own historically accurate reed pens! These instructions can be found in the book 'Writing & Illuminating & Lettering' by Edward Johnston (1872-1944), often regarded as the father of modern calligraphy. The book is copyright-free as it was first published in 1906, so you can easily find scans of the complete book online. The last step with the clock spring isn't necessary for a functioning pen, but adding the spring does make your pen hold its ink longer. The weather is nice, so this little diy might be a good excuse to be outside! #technicalarthistory #arthistory #artsy #diy #doityourself #historicalreconstruction #historical #historicalsource #reconstruction #artist #reed #kunstgeschiedenis #tekening #inkt #drawing #inkdrawing #pendrawing #ink #pen #inkpen #oldbooks #oldbook #experiment #calligraphy #draw #arttechnologicalsourceresearch #illumination #illuminating #conservationandrestoration #universityofamsterdam (bij Amsterdam, Netherlands)

[thetechnicalarthistorian]

Did you know you can make your own historically accurate drawing tools for free? All you need is dry reed and a kitchen knife! Reed pens have been around for centuries. Reed pens from the 4th century BC have been found in Egypt, but artists like Rembrandt also frequently used reed pens for their drawings. You need some patience if you're making them for the first time, but in general it's very easy to do. Nevertheless, what you can do with them is astonishing! You can play with varying between bold strokes and delicate details. Definitely worth trying out! #technicalarthistory #arthistory #art #artsy #diy #doityourself #historical #history #historicalreconstruction #reconstruction #artist #reed #kunstgeschiedenis #tekening #inkt #drawing #inkdrawing #pendrawing #ink #pretty #pen #inkpen #aesthetic #experiment #paper #paperart #calligraphy #draw #conservationandrestoration #universityofamsterdam (bij Amsterdam, Netherlands)

[thetechnicalarthistorian]

Results of the red lake paint tests! If you're testing mechanical properties of paint, this is probably what your tests will look like. We tested smoothness, fluidity, the addition of varnish, impasto, small details, opacity, pigment dispersion, and we made a bunch of draw-downs of 50 micron thick. A micron is 1/1000th of a millimeter! #technicalarthistory #paint #painting #oilpaint #red #color #colour #colorful #pretty #experiment #linseedoil #lakepigment #redpigment #artsy #varnish #oil #panelpainting #painttest #pigment #pigments #impasto #paintproperties #micron #aesthetic #vibrant #brush #paintbrush #conservationandrestoration #universityofamsterdam (bij Amsterdam, Netherlands)